San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh celebrates with quarterback Colin Kaepernick after Kaepernick's 56-yard touchdown run against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter. BEN MARGOT, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Packers running back DuJuan Harris celebrates a touchdown against the San 49ers in the first quarter. HARRY HOW, GETTY IMAGES

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Quarterback Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers runs the ball for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in the third quarter. STEPHEN DUNN, GETTY IMAGES

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick runs for a 20-yard touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the first quarter. TONY AVELAR, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley catches a pass against San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis during the second quarter. TONY AVELAR, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick celebrates with wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. after Kaepernick scored on a 56-yard touchdown run against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter. BEN MARGOT, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields eludes the tackle of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as he runs back an interception for a touchdown during the first quarter. D. ROSS CAMERON, OAKLAND TRIBUNE

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Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields eludes the tackle of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as he returns an interception for a touchdown during the first quarter. D. ROSS CAMERON, OAKLAND TRIBUNE

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The San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick and Vernon Davis celebrate after Kaepernick's 21-yard touchdown scoring run in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers. JOSE LUIS VILLEGAS, SACRAMENTO BEE

Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones hauls in a long catch while being defended by the San Francisco 49ers' Dashon Goldson, right, during the first quarter in the NFC Divisional Playoff on Saturday. MIKE DE SISTI, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL

SAN FRANCISCO – Thousands came to see a football game here Saturday night, and an episode of "Justified" broke out, starring Jim Harbaugh.

Anyone out there still think the San Francisco 49ers coach made the wrong move by changing quarterbacks?

Colin Kaepernick might not advance any further in the playoffs than Alex Smith, but there's no doubt after Saturday — none, zilch, zero — that Kaepernick is the best quarterback for the present and future of the 49ers.

All the second-year pro did in his first playoff game was account for 444 yards of offense, including a quarterback-record 181 on the ground. It was too much for the overwhelmed Green Bay Packers to handle in a 45-31 divisional-round wipeout that launched another star into San Francisco's quarterbacking stratosphere.

"Colin obviously made it extremely hard for us on defense," Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji said in perhaps the understatement of the evening. "Tonight was his night."

Kaepernick isn't done yet. He'll play in next Sunday's NFC Championship Game, against Atlanta or Seattle. If he loses, people will joke about him going only as far as Smith did last season — just like they did about Peyton Manning and Tim Tebow after Denver lost earlier Saturday. But you have to look at the big picture. That's what Harbaugh did. What he saw was the potential for something great.

"It amazes me," 49ers All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis said of Kaepernick. "It wows me. I'm just saying 'Wow, did he just do that?'"

By picking the younger, more athletic Kaepernick over the seasoned, steady Smith — who ranked among the league leaders in completion percentage and passer rating at the time — Harbaugh didn't play it safe.

The same couldn't be said of Packers coach Mike McCarthy in the fourth quarter, when, down 14 points with 11:37 left, he elected to punt on fourth-and-5 from the Green Bay 49-yard line. The Packers had shown little if any ability to stop the 49ers at that point. The next possession was no different — a 93-yard, get-the-party-started touchdown drive featuring two Kaepernick runs for 20 yards and two passes for 31.

Kaepernick had a hand (or foot) in each of the 49ers' first four touchdowns: a decisive 20-yard scramble, pinpoint 12- and 20-yard passes to Michael Crabtree, and a breathtaking 56-yard run. But perhaps the most impressive aspect of his performance was how he handled himself after an early blunder.

On the fourth play, Kaepernick threw late to the left side for tight end Vernon Davis. Sam Shields intercepted the pass and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown. Davis was worried Kaepernick would get discouraged. There was no need to worry.

"He managed to keep his head up despite the interception he threw," Davis said. "He kept fighting."

Kaepernick directed a touchdown drive on the next possession, calmly hitting Frank Gore for a 45-yard gain, then sprinting into the end zone from the 20. He displayed the type of unwavering poise his teammates and coaches have come to expect.

"He does a great job of responding," Harbaugh said. "Every time there's been an interception that he's thrown or a safety or turnover, he's responded with a scoring drive. That's rare. That's a rare quality."

The Packers reacted to Kaepernick's runs as if they didn't see them coming. Their pass rush lacked discipline, leaving huge holes for Kaepernick to dash through. Their reads on read-option plays were mostly incorrect.

"We expected them to try to get him on the perimeter," Packers safety Charles Woodson said. "We didn't expect to let him do what he did. It was hard. It was hard to swallow.

"You'd get a good rush on the guy, and he'd find that one gap. It seemed like it was 10 yards a pop."

Actually, it was 11.3.

Asked what adjustments were made at halftime — when Kaepernick had 107 rushing yards — Woodson said: "We didn't make any adjustments. It wasn't good out there today."

The man Kaepernick replaced was the man the 49ers selected with the first pick in the 2005 draft instead of Aaron Rodgers. Just call it One Degree of Alex Smith.

Rodgers' return to the area where he grew up to face the team that spurned him was supposed to be the main plot point. But there were no "Revenge" analogies to be made.

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